Harris County imposes no host-presence requirement on short-term rentals in unincorporated areas because Texas counties lack zoning authority under Local Government Code chapter 232. Cities like Galveston and Austin require hosted listings, but Harris County treats Airbnb as a private use without host-on-site rules.
Texas Local Government Code chapters 232 and 233 give counties limited unincorporated zoning authority, mainly subdivision platting and floodplain rules. Harris County does not regulate where or how short-term rentals operate in unincorporated areas, so no host-presence (hosted) versus unhosted rule applies. Operators rent whole homes via Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking platforms without on-site host requirements. Texas Senate Bill 776 (2025) further preempted strict local STR zoning bans, though hotel occupancy taxes still apply. Houston's STR ordinance (effective 2026) requires registration but does not mandate host presence. Property owners must still meet Hotel Occupancy Tax filings under Tax Code chapter 156 and the Harris County 7 percent HOT under chapter 352.
No county host-presence violation exists. State Hotel Occupancy Tax non-filing under Tax Code chapter 156 carries penalties of five percent for late filing, ten percent after 30 days, plus interest and possible criminal charges for willful evasion.
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See how Pasadena's host presence rule rules stack up against other locations.
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